


The Capricious

by CultofBarrel, Em3kitty



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Greatest Showman (2017)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff, M/M, Phil being stupid, Professor Barnum, Second-Hand Embarrassment, Sweet Angst, TA Phillip, no student/teacher at all, not student/teacher
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-22
Updated: 2018-02-23
Packaged: 2019-03-22 12:52:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13764582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CultofBarrel/pseuds/CultofBarrel, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Em3kitty/pseuds/Em3kitty
Summary: Capricious. An adjective to describe a person or thing that's impulsive and unpredictable. That described Professor Barnum to a T.Inconspicuious. An adjective to describe something that is hidden. Phillip's feelings for the professor were anything but.





	1. Prologue

_ To Mr Phillip Carlyle, _

_ You have been accepted as a member of the staff at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. _

_ Term begins on the 28th of August for staff and the 1st of September for students. _

_ Now as you may be aware, we do not usually take recent graduates in as teaching staff for multiple reasons, one of which we do not usually have any positions to fill. Unfortunately, there are no teaching spaces available as they have just been filled by professors Phineas Barnum and Charity Barnum.  _ However _ , your tutoring sessions over the last couple of years have not gone unnoticed by the faculty. Therefore we have made an exception and allowed you to be part of the teaching staff as an assistant to the professors of Hogwarts. _

_ Your focus will be on assisting the students with homework and classwork, should they ask for it, and grading homework and assignments, in all areas at the school. After a period of time, we shall decide which area you excel at in teaching the most, as you well know, just because you know the content, does not mean you can teach it. and assign you solely to that professor. Or you will replace a professor that leaves, whichever comes first. _

_ I would like to congratulate you once again on your success in achieving this position. _

_ Yours sincerely, _

_ Dexter Fortescue, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry _


	2. Chapter 1

“Come on,” Professor Barnum drawled in frustration. “You know this, you've done this before! Are any of you paying attention?! What's the basic shield spell? Phillip! What's the basic shield spell?”

Completely lost in the moment, staring deeply into Professor Barnum's hazel eyes, distracted by his own drifting mind, Phillip wasn't paying attention. Anne, sitting beside him, took one look at his dazed, sappy face and snickered. Ideas forming in her head she leaned over and whispered in his ear.

Brought back to reality very suddenly by Anne's words, he shoots up and very confidently yells out.

The class around him snickers. Professor Barnum sighs and slumps in defeat, muttering to himself. “Potato?! Potato?! No, it's Protego. Honestly Phillip you just graduated! Why did I ever decide to teach....” Looking up directly at Phillip, the professor just stared disappointedly. “Just….see me after class Phil”

Silently slinking further into his seat in embarrassment, Phillip nodded slowly, face bright red.

Class continued with Anne and the others laughing, recalling Phillip’s mistake. Phillip glared at Anne in embarrassment at her laughter.

“Why did you do that?! I'm not going to get a job at this rate! Did you really have to make it that much harder?!” Phillip whispered angrily at her. Anne smirked

“Oh Come on! It was funny! And besides, that's only because of your hopeless crush on Professor Barnum!” Anne snarked.

“Hey! I do not have a crush on him!”

Phillip was met with silence and a hard stare from Anne.

“Is it really obvious?”

Anne snickered. “You just confirmed it, my painfully obvious friend.”

“Well shit.” Phillip slumped. “Please don't tell anyone?”

While the two were bickering, they were oblivious to the eavesdropper behind them. Lettie Lutz, a fellow Gryffindor to Anne, was not-so-subtly leaning forward, eager to hear every word. While Professor Barnum's back was turned, she hastily scribbled the conversation onto a scrap of parchment. Quickly, before Professor Barnum could turn around, she twisted in her seat and lobbed the balled up scrap at Constantine in the back row.

Catching the paper ball, Constantine unravelled it to read, before glancing up at Lettie as if to say ‘I told you so.’ Quickly moving to sit on the scrap of paper, said piece of parchment was snatched from between his fingers. Not willing to risk the Professor finding out, he kept his mouth shut as it passed from student to student, a silent promise between them all; no one outside the classroom is to find out.

With that silent promise, and a whisper of incendio, the little scrap went up in flames. 

When the time came for the class to be dismissed, sly smirks and nudging elbows followed the seniors as they plotted away. Only 3 were oblivious to the deviousness that was the seventh year DADA class: Phillip Carlyle, Anne Wheeler and P.T Barnum.

 

* * *

 

As the students were leaving the class, Phillip and Anne stayed behind. “Should I wait for you?” Anne asks as Professor Barnum approaches them.

“No it's alright. I'll catch up with you later” He replies, Anne nods, quickly greeting Professor Barnum before hurrying out the door to catch up with the others.

Phillip turns around to greet Professor Barnum, who pulls him gently to the front of the classroom, sitting on the edge of the desk to talk. Professor Barnum puts his hand on Phillips shoulder comfortingly, and Philip's breath hitches.

“Mr Carlyle - Phil. I've been a little worried about your attention recently. I've noticed that although you you've been keeping up fine with your marking, as of late you seem a little distracted in class. Now. I've had a word with the other teachers that you’re working with, and they all say you're doing fine. So I'd like to know. What's distracting you Phil? What Wrackspurts have worked their way into that head of yours?” Phineas finished with a little secret smile.

“I-I-” Phillip stutters and looks down at the floor, face bright red.

“You like Anne don't you?” Professor Barnum drops his hand from Phillip’s shoulder.

“N-No - I” Phillip splutters.

“Its okay, I know what it's like to have a crush on someone, your secret is safe with me. I do ask that you try and be a little more focused in class. Otherwise I will have to split you and I don't want to have to do that.”

“But-”

“You’re only a year apart Phil, and it’s not like you’re a teacher; there shouldn’t be any complaints from the faculty if anything does happen between the two of you.”

“I-”

“Better hurry up, Charity doesn't like it when anyone is late. Especially a family dinner”

“I-oh-okay” Phillip stutters, backing away towards the door. As he turned, prepared to open the door and let the next class in, his shoulder whacked on the partially open door. Taking a stumbling step back, he glances back one final time before hurrying through the door, leaving the incoming class in giggles, even Professor Barnum cracks a smile. Laughing through the pain as he stumbles out the door, Phillip’s mind was still stuck on the charming smile of Professor Barnum.


End file.
